Computing systems include a number of internal and external components and devices that must communicate and operate in compatible manner order to perform the functions of the computing device. A typical computing environment includes components and devices manufactured by various manufacturers Bridge logic devices are often employed to provide connectivity between the various devices in a computing system. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the architecture of an exemplary conventional computing system 100. As shown in FIG. 1, a typical architecture includes a processor (CPU) 110 coupled to a bridge logic device 130 via a bus 115, such as a CPU bus. The bridge logic device 130 is often referred to as a “North” bridge because it is typically depicted at the top of computer system drawings. The North bridge 130 is also coupled to a memory 120 via a bus 125, such as a memory bus, and to one or more graphics devices 140, via a bus 135.
A second bridge logic device 150, typically referred to as a “South” bridge, is typically used to provide a standard interface to a number of peripheral devices and other devices. The South bridge 150 permits manufacturers of peripheral devices to provide devices that are compatible with computer systems of other manufacturers. The South bridge 150 aggregates communications between the various peripheral devices and the processor 110. As shown in FIG. 1, a peripheral device can be connected to the computer system 100 via one or more connectors 170-n to a corresponding physical interface (PHY) 160-1 through 160-N or one or more PCI slots 180, in a well-known manner.
Supporting the peripheral devices in the manner shown in FIG. 1 significantly contributes to the overall system cost of a computing system 100. For example, the costs of implementing the architecture 100 of FIG. 1 includes the costs of the South bridge 150, as well as multiple PHY interfaces 160 or Media Access Controller (MAC)/PHY devices for various peripheral devices, such as network cards, modems and Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0) devices.
Communications between the South bridge 150 and the North bridge 130 are often over a parallel Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. The shared nature of the PCI bus, however, requires that only one peripheral device can communicate on the bus at a time. Further, as additional devices are connected to the PCI bus, additional wires and routing are required. Thus, the PCI bus architecture of the South bridge is generally not scaleable as the number of connected peripheral devices increases.
A need therefore exists for a more cost effective architecture for controlling and communicating with peripheral devices. A further need exists for an integrated controller that is scaleable as the number of connected peripheral devices increases.